Maus is a biography in two parts, the first being "My Father Bleeds History," and the second, "And Here My Troubles Began." Using the comic book form, Spiegelman tells the story of his father Vladek, a Polish Jew who tried to escape the Holocaust, and ended up spending the last year or so of the war in Auschwitz. Why I say year or so is because Vladek never knew how much time he actually spent in the camp. Spiegelman also learns about a brother who died as a child, tries to find answers about his mother- a survivor who later committed suicide, and makes the reader ponder the idea of Art Spiegelman also being a survivor- how to survive in a family that has lived a nightmare, micromanages, and feel like he'll never live up to who his deceased brother could have been.
There could be concerns that using the comic book form as a means to share such a story is inappropriate, but in this instance, it works. The characters are all depicted as animals, and the animals of choice are highly appropriate. The Jews are portrayed as mice, Nazis are cats, and you can really get a sense of symbolism, and what each animal truly portrays. We had discussed the use of animals in place of people in class. What we concluded is that if Spiegelman had drawn people, the readers would have a harder time connecting, because there's no way he could have drawn expressions to properly capture the agony and torture. But, with animals, you can insert yourself into the story more, and use your mind to enhance the images -and expressions- on the page.
If you've never been of the comic book ilk, at least read Maus I and II. Not only will you change your mind about the genre, but you'll see the Holocaust, and its effects on the survivors, in a new way.
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